Archive for the ‘Livestrong’ Category

Yesterday Mike and I completed a 35 mile ride which brings us to the half-way mark in our goal to reach 70.  I think we both could have gone longer but definitely would have struggled to get up past 45 or 50.

Much training remains to get us in proper shape for the race in August but we’ll shoot for 40 this coming Saturday and again look for more hilly terrain to get us to where we need to be.

Session Distance:  35.24 miles
Avg Speed: 14.9 mph
Top Speed:  33.1 mph

Total Training Distance: 158.54 miles

Last Thursday I picked up my bike following repairs from my crash and after a long weekend in Philadelphia playing golf, getting only slightly sun-burned, I made my way back onto the trail Sunday riding just under 30 miles.

I am really excited with how comfortable I have become on my bike as of late.  I genuinely look forward to my rides, the uphills are barely painful, and I’m rarely sore at all now that I have the padded shorts.  With 10 weeks to go until the race, I feel somewhat confident that I’ll be able to finish the race.  I know it will still be very difficult, but I am not as intimidated by the 70 miles as I was initially.

Over the next few weeks I will look to push past 40 miles in my longer rides and start looking for more challenging terrain.  While I love the W&OD, I know I need to find trails with more hills.

Thanks to the generosity of many of my friends and family, I reached my very modest fundraising goal this morning and received the following email from the LIVESTRONG people…

Congratulations on reaching your fundraising goal! We admire your determination and your commitment to the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s mission to inspire and empower people who have been impacted by cancer.

Please extend our gratitude to your donors and let them know that every dollar counts – together, we are improving the lives of people affected by cancer. Thanks again, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

The LIVESTRONG Challenge Team

Thanks to all who donated!

If you are still interested in making a donation, you can do so online here:
http://philly09.livestrong.org/dascentral

Yesterday I met my buddy Mike out on Rte 28 just north of the Dulles Toll Road for our first ride together.  Mike just got his bike and gear so this was his first training ride but we still set an aggressive goal of 30 miles for the day with Mike having the option to turn around earlier if necessary.

The ride started out nice and easy as we headed west towards Ashburn.  Not sure if it was the bacon and eggs I had in the morning or if this section of the trail was particularly flat, but I had tons of energy at the start.  This also was a new section of the W&OD for me so I was excited to have some new scenery for the ride.  I let Mike start out in the lead so he could set a pace that he was comfortable with.  I didn’t want to hop in front and wear him out too quick.  This is actually easier for me since Mike takes the brunt of the wind and I get to draft like a NASCAR driver.  We decided to take turns leading and agreed on switching at 5 mile intervals.

As we neared the end of our first 5 mile interval, Mike and I approached a rare juntion on the trail where a small path coming from a nearby parking lot on our left met with the main trail.  As we neared the junction, 5 or 6 riders were coming onto the main trail and heading in the opposite direction causing Mike and I to slow down a bit.  On the path ahead of us at this point was a solo rider moving at a fairly leisurely pace.  As soon as the group of 5/6 passed, Mike and I moved out to the left to pass the rider ahead of us.  Mike passes without problem but before I can enter this guy’s peripheral vision, he makes a sharp left turn to head down the side trail and to the parking lot.  The horrible timing of his turn left me with no option but to plow into him.  I didn’t have time to hit my brakes, swerve left, fall over… anything.  I smashed right into him, our bikes tangled and we went down.

I know I’m still a bit of a rookie at this point but do know that first and foremost when geting into a crash, check to make sure everyone’s okay.  We checked each other out and thankfully the worst of it was a scrape on my knee and elbow.  No broken bones.  Plenty of broken pride.  The guy rightfully chastises both Mike and I for not announcing our pass with a standard “On the left” notice and rides away.

As I recovered from the shock and embarrassment of the crash, I checked out my bike to find a busted wheel and some damage done to the front fork.  Fast forward a couple hours to Revolution Cycles in Clarendon and I find out that both the wheel and fork will need to be replaced.  After tax and installation fees, I’m looking at repair costs that equal about 1/3 of the cost of the bike.  A very sad Saturday for me and my wallet.

As I’ve told this story to several friends already since the crash, I realize and acknowledge that I am primarily at fault.  Sure, Mike should have said “on the left” or even better “2 riders on the left” before passing and sure, the guy should have a) signaled a left turn and b) looked over his shoulder, but ultimately it is on me to also announce “on the left”.  I think the rules are the same as if I was snowboarding.  On the mountain it’s up to me to stay under control and afford the right of way to anyone ahead of me.  If I plow into them, it’s my fault regardless of what ridiculous turn they may have made.  I think it’s the same on the bike trail.

So for any new riders out there, learn from my very expensive lesson and always announce when you need to pass.

My bike is in the shop for a week so it looks like it’s into the gym to get acquainted with the stationary bike.

Last weekend I went on training ride #2. Yes, #2. That makes two weeks between my first and second training rides.

Completely unacceptable.

There’s always a reason to miss a training ride whether it be work, errands or a friend who’s come to town that you haven’t seen in ages. (All happened.)  However training doesn’t mean going out for a little bike ride when you feel like it.  It means riding on a regular basis and pushing yourself beyond your limits.  That being the case, I made an effort over Memorial Day weekend to dedicate myself to legitimate training.

On Saturday I rode 30 painful miles.  A bowl of cereal was all I had in the morning leaving me with very little energy throughout the ride.  I felt nauseous at times and struggled to recover to full strength until a few hours after finishing.

Sunday I took a break from biking but went to the gym to for a cardio and ab workout.  I’m trying to do everything I can to combat back pain so mixing in a core workout at least once a week is key.

Monday brought quite a bit of rain but I was able to find a 90 minute pocket of sunshine to complete another 20 mile ride.  Thanks to a hearty lunch and a well planned stop during the ride for Powerbar nutrition, I was able to finish this ride with ease.

Feeling a little better about my effort, I found resources on the LIVESTRONG race website offering up a 12 week training program.  I now sit 13 weeks away from race day.  Despite being quite intimidated by the course map, I have faith that I’ll be make it through if I stick to the program.

Tomorrow I look forward to some eggs and bacon before another 30 mile ride.  However this time I’ll be joined by my Northern Virginia training partner, Mike.  An old college friend of mine, he’s known Gerald since they were very young.  Looking forward to the company.